The boy was rushed to a hospital after the shark latched onto his upper thigh.
OSSABAW ISLAND, Ga. — A 13-year-old boy was hospitalized after a shark bit him during a fishing trip Wednesday afternoon in coastal Georgia, prompting a Coast Guard response and emergency aid from bystanders at a dock.
The bite was reported near Ossabaw Island, about 20 miles south of Savannah, after the boy and others on a boat caught a shark estimated at 5 to 6 feet long. Officials said the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated with Liberty County emergency crews to meet the boat at the Sunbury Crab Docks.
Authorities said Coast Guard watchstanders in Charleston responded to the shark bite report around 4:06 p.m. Wednesday. Dispatch audio described the patient as a 13-year-old boy with a shark bite to the upper thigh. The boy had been fishing with his father and other teenagers when the shark was brought close to the boat, according to witnesses who later described the scene at the dock.
Boater Terry Tatum said she was sitting on her boat when she saw another vessel approaching and could tell something was wrong. She said the boy’s father was trying to get help after the bite. Tatum said the group told her they had caught a large shark and were trying to unhook it when the shark latched onto the boy’s right thigh. She said she grabbed a first aid kit and helped until emergency crews arrived.
McIntosh County EMS volunteer BJ Comer also responded after hearing the commotion near the dock. Comer said she went to get emergency supplies, thinking a tourniquet might be needed, but an ambulance arrived soon afterward. The boy was taken from the Sunbury Crab Docks to a local hospital. Officials had not released his name or an update on his condition by Friday.
The incident happened in the waters around Georgia’s barrier islands, where fishing boats often travel through tidal creeks, sounds and nearshore areas. Ossabaw Island is a largely undeveloped barrier island south of Savannah, while Sunbury is a small coastal community in Liberty County. Officials have not said what species of shark was involved or whether the shark was kept after the bite.
The case appears to have involved a shark that had already been hooked, based on witness accounts. Investigators have not reported that anyone else on the boat was injured. No criminal investigation or enforcement action had been announced as of Friday, and local authorities had not released a full incident report.
The Coast Guard said its role included coordinating with local emergency services so the boy could be met at the dock and moved to medical care. The response brought together federal watchstanders, Liberty County emergency officials and bystanders who were already near the water when the injured teen arrived.
The boy’s condition remained unknown Friday. Authorities had not released additional details about the fishing trip, the shark or the next steps in the review of the emergency response.
Author note: Last updated July 4, 2026.